prairie schooner

noun

1. a type of covered wagon, similar to but smaller than the Conestoga wagon, used by pioneers in crossing the prairies and plains of North America.

prairie schooner

noun

1. a horse-drawn covered wagon similar to but smaller than a Conestoga wagon, used in the 19th century to cross the prairies of North America

Word History and Origins

Origin of prairie schooner¹

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

When people asked him about that big old ship he was building, he’d ask them, “Haven’t you ever heard of a prairie schooner?”

From Washington Times

“In coming along the Lincoln Highway, we are simply traversing the old overland road along which the prairie schooners of the pioneers passed,” Gladding wrote.

From New York Times

The order was given and after moments that seemed hours, down the long hill they rushed pell-mell, without lock or brake, the prairie schooners tossing like their namesakes on a stormy sea.

From Project Gutenberg

The wagon had been transformed by a canvas canopy over the bed into what was popularly known as a "prairie schooner."

From Project Gutenberg

It was along the lines of the old American "prairie schooner," except that it was much bigger and heavier in every way.

From Project Gutenberg